Two Arrested After 1 Child Beheaded; 2 Partially Decapitated

Mexican Government Confirms Suspects', Parents' Identities

Baltimore City police arrested two people in the gruesome deaths of three children slain in their northwest Baltimore apartment.

Also, WBAL-TV 11 News has learned that investiagtors are not ruling anything out, including a possible link to an illegal immigration ring. Federal investigators told 11 News that the family may have failed to make payments and suffered deadly consequences, WBAL-TV 11 News I-Team reporter David Collins reported.

Federal agents began looking into the possibility of illegal immigration Thursday. The victims' mother, however, told investigators Thursday that they didn't owe anybody anything, Collins said.

Investigators announced early Friday morning the arrests of Adan Espinoza Canela, 17, and Piolicarpio Espinoza, 22, in the deaths of two 9-year-olds and a 10-year-old. Police said the men may be the uncles to at least one of the victims.

They will face a bond hearing scheduled for Tuesday. Both men face three counts of first-degree murder and one count of possession of deadly weapon.

The Mexican government identified Policarpio Espinoza as the children's uncle and Adan Espinoza Canela as their cousin.

Officials in Mexico have also identified the children's parents as Ricardo Espinoza, Mimi Quezada and Maria Andrea Espejo. It's not known who the parents of each child were.

Deputy Baltimore City Police Commissioner Kenneth Blackwell said they took the two men into custody late Thursday night after receiving what he called "a major break" in the case. He said the men were questioned Thursday night and Friday morning.

"At this time, we are very confident that we have two main suspects in the case," Baltimore City Police Chief of Detectives Antonio Williams said.

"Our belief right now is that those two children were at home by themselves," Williams said.

Blackwell said investigators consulted with the Baltimore City State's Attorney's Office and charged the men with murder on Friday morning. He said they do not have a clear motive for the killings.

Officials said one child had been beheaded and the other two were partially decapitated. Police found a butcher's knife covered in blood behind the apartment complex.

The government of Mexico is helping the children's family, offering legal and financial aid to the stricken parents. The Foreign Relations Department says the parents were undocumented immigrants and that their chlordan were born in Mexico City and the state of Veracruz.

The children were identified as 10-year-old Alexis Quezada, a boy; a 9-year-old girl, Lucero Quezada; and a 8-year-old boy, Ricardo Espinoza. Police earlier identified the victims as two girls and a boy, but said Friday morning that they had made a mistake.

"This was an act of someone who obviously has no conscience; [it was a] despicable act in an area where it's very uncustomary for these types of incidents to occur," Blackwell said.

Police said two families lived together and it was the Quezada's mother who made the gruesome discovery. Authorities said the children were found about 5:40 p.m. Thursday. Two of the children were found in one bedroom. One was found in another.

Friends and neighbors said the two families living in the apartment were from Mexico and have lived her for at least three years.

The children were in school on Thursday and police said they returned home around 3:30 p.m.

The crime scene was reportedly so brutal that even veteran police officers have been left shaken. Police have since collected forensic evidence, including a 10- to 12-inch butcher knife blade.

Parents and teachers at the children's school, Cross Country Elementary, hugged each other Friday morning and cried. Officials said grief counselors would be on hand to help the 700 students.

The Art Deco apartment complex is in the Fallstaff neighborhood in the northwest corner of the city, not far from Pimlico Race Course, where the Preakness Stakes was held two weeks ago. The complex is surrounded by well-tended homes and green lawns dotted with cicadas.

The neighborhood is largely Orthodox Jewish, with a mix of white, black and Hispanic residents. Jews in the area were observing the Shavuot holiday, and many milled about the apartment complex on their way to and from prayers.

Matt Teichman, 17, a student at Talmudical Academy, was returning home from prayers when he heard the sirens and saw police.

"We walk here late at night and we usually feel safe," he said. "Now, I don't know what to feel. I can't really believe it."